Natsuki: Into the Shadows
by balthazarskullduggery
Summary: Follow Natsuki's ongoing battle with the secret organization known as the Hoka while dealing with personal revelations that could shatter her entire life.


**Prologue**

"Now, I understand this is a big decision, but a decision you **will** make because, well, you really have no choice… get it? You must make a decision because you no choice." The man said, laughing a bit.

"I-I I can't." A beaten and bloodied Natsuki said softly.

"You what?"

"I can't do it… please, don't make me do it."

"Now that's not how it works."

"God damn it, Kaine, stop this!"

"No! No, Natsuki, this is too much fun, way more than before. Now c'mon- choose."

"Y-you can kill me instead, just don't make me do this, please. I'm begging you."

"You still don't get it, Natsuki, I don't want to **kill** you; I want to **break** you. I want to see the look you gave me all those years ago. I want you to realise how fucked you are - in fact, think back to how you got here, think back to when you were to return to that village of yours to meet your dear brother, and realise how fucked you always were."

 _10 months earlier_

Natsuki had just returned to Konoha after confronting Kabuto about his betrayal with Kuroko. Kabuto had mentioned an old hideout of the Hoka deep in the North, so that was her next stop. She packed for a cold journey. Natsuki had dealt with snowy conditions before on her time in the Land of Iron and, as a result, she had packed proper clothes to deal with the harsh cold.

Natsuki wanted to stop by Ayame's and ask her to tell Dairuko that she was leaving the village, but when she got there, Dairuko answered the door, his shirt full of blood.

"Dairuko, are you hurt?" Natsuki asked, surprised and concerned.

"What are you… oh right ,this. It's not my blood." Dairuko said simply. "So where're you off to all dressed and stuff?"

"The Hoka have a hideout in the North. I'm going to investigate...who's blood is it?"

"Remember Shizuka?"

"The girl from the war, yeah."

"Same one, she's hurt and I'm using what first aid I know to help patch her up." Dairuko said and Natsuki sighed.

"Step aside and let me help you." Natsuki didn't even listen to Dairuko's objection and walked into the house.

* * *

After helping Dairuko with his patient Natsuki was ready to leave for North once again.

"Thanks for the help." Dairuko said.

"You're welcome; Shizuka will be asleep for a bit you should clean yourself up before your family gets home."

"Why?"

"You may be used to wearing blood splatter clothes but you're daughter would freak out as well as Ayame."

"I see your point...do you need some help with your Hoka mission I'm sure Itachi-"

"No- thank you, Dairuko, but Itachi's goin' through his own thing now, and you look busy so I'll go alone… besides, I've realised lately that I work better alone." Natsuki said and left Dairuko before he could say anything.

Natsuki had reached the North and set up camp for the night but, as she sat by the fire trying to stay warm, she heard the low moaning of an animal. Natsuki grabbed a torch in her left hand, and had her sword in her right hand, then went to investigate. She quickly found the source of the moaning - a white tiger that had a severe wound on its leg.

The tiger growled at Natsuki as she approached it, but she put her sword down and kept her head lowered as a sign that she meant the tiger no harm, while still moving slowly towards it. Setting aside her torch once she was close enough, Natsuki carefully reached out and touched the beast. It bared its fangs briefly, but made no other move to harm her. Taking this as a good sign, Natsuki began healing the tiger which, upon closer inspection, was actually a tigress. After healing the wound, Natsuki moved her camp near the tigress to keep her warm since she had lost a lot of blood.

As the night bore on Natsuki and had fallen asleep, the tigress walked up to her, then curled around Natsuki to help keep her warm. Natsuki woke up, a little surprised, but then simply rested against the white tigress and fell asleep again. The next morning, just as Natsuki was ready to leave, three wolves appeared and started circling her and the tigress.

The first wolf lunged at Natsuki, who side stepped it and the cut the wolf's head off. Then the second wolf ran at her, and Natsuki cut a thin tree in three and kicked the middle piece into the wolf as it jumped while the third wolf was killed by the tiger.

"That was easy." Natsuki said, then heard a howl and, when she turned around, she saw a large wolf that towered over her. "I just had to say something, didn't I?" the wolf lunged forward and Natsuki tackled the tigress, both of them tumbling in an awkward dodge, but the wolf turned around so fast that it lifted the snow high enough off the ground that it was concealed. ' _That's actually pretty smart._ ' Natsuki thought as the wolf lunged again but, this time it just crashed before her feet dead. "How the-"

"You're welcome." A male voice said from behind her.

"I know that voice."

"Ohayo, Natsuki-chan." The man said, as he dropped down from a tree behind Natsuki.

"Tenzin, I didn't expect to find you here."

"Well I live here; what's your excuse for being here? I doubt it's to come and see me."

"No, I'm lookin' into a group called Hoka, they're supposed to have a hideout around here."

"Hoka… never heard of them."

"It's best you haven't."

"That bad huh?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't we continue this conversation somewhere else?"

"Sure."

Tenzin brought Natsuki and the tiger back to his cabin, where they sat drinking tea.

"So... how's your dad?" Natsuki asked.

"He died six months ago." Tenzin replied.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"What happened to him?"

"He died of natural causes… a death not many people get nowadays."

"I can attest to that fact."

"Where is your brother, and the Uchiha?"

"We're… goin' our separate ways for now."

"Ah, I see, you wish to hunt separate prey."

"That's one way of puttin' it, yeah."

"I see you managed to stumble across my prize." Tenzin said, nodding at the tiger that was curled up at the fireplace.

"Were you hunting her?" Natsuki asked, stepping between Tenzin and the tiger.

"Of course not, her mother was killed by a hunter. I was too late to stop that, so I began tracking her baby to ensure it could survive on its own."

"When I found her she was hurt something awful, ready to bleed out. I thought your hunting code didn't allow such a thing."

"It doesn't… but these are different hunters. They hunt for sport, anything that could provide a challenge."

"They hunt humans?"

"Yes, but only those considered strong."

"That doesn't make it any better."

"I know… I'm one of the few old hunters left." Tenzin explained that a few months ago, a foreign man appeared and showed the other hunters something that made them follow his code of hunting as well as turn them into bloodthirsty beasts rather better hunters.

"That's why you brought me here? In case we were bein' watched?"

"Yes, no doubt once word gets out that you're here, you will be made the next target." Tenzin said, when an arrow flew through his window, a note attached. He got up and went to collect it, reading the attached note. "Natsuki, stay here. Do not come outside or pop your head out - just stay." Tenzin said and walked out.

Natsuki - not really one for following demands - tried to hear what was being said but, when that didn't work out, decided to just see what was transpiring instead. Tenzin was standing at the foot of the trail that led up to his cabin, talking to another man who wore tattered, bloodied clothes. The bloodied man was about to leave when he noticed Natsuki. He turned back to Tenzin, who stabbed him in the throat with the tip of a broken arrow Tenzin had hidden in his sleeve. Tenzin was back inside before the man's body hit the ground.

"We need to leave - now!" Tenzin said, as he hurriedly started to pack his bags.

"Tenzin, what's going on?" Natsuki asked while she packed.

"I told you not to poke your head out… now they're on their way."

"Who?" Natsuki asked, when they heard the sound of bells.

"They're here." Tenzin grabbed his bow and arrows and a tomahawk before running out with Natsuki.

"I see the Old Hunter has our prize… two birds with one stone it seems." One of them said.

"Magwa, stop this. She's here on a mission!" Tenzin called out.

"Your point?"

"Hurt her and I will kill you." Tenzin stated, readying an arrow.

"He can try." Natsuki said, pulling out her swords.

"You are surrounded by fifty men. Do you think they won't kill you eventually?"

"Not today, Magwa." Tenzin shot his arrow in the ice, causing it to crack and the side he and Natsuki were on to begin to fall into the water below.

Tenzin grabbed Natsuki and they both jumped off into the water before the whole thing collapsed. Magwa looked down at the spot where they had jumped into the water and knew that Tenzin was still alive, but that they wouldn't find him now. The old hunter was too good for that.

Tenzin woke up to find a naked Natsuki next to him. After a few seconds he was able to process that her breast was against his arm, and he flew back to the opposite side of the cave he dragged them into after they swam out the water.

"What's the matter?" Natsuki asked as she woke up.

"Y-you were supposed to be here" he pointed at the spot he was now standing in, "how did you end up next to me?" Tenzin stammered.

"Well, after we got undressed, you put the blanket over me and retreated to your corner, but you looked cold in your sleep, so I just tried to keep you warm." She explained diplomatically. "What's the problem anyway? We've been naked in front of each other before."

"That was before you were… this!" Tenzin exclaimed, waving his hands up and down at her. Natsuki placed her hands on her hips and chuckled.

"I think you enjoyed it more than you wanted to." She said and pointed at Tenzin who crossed his legs realising what she meant.

' _Think unsexy thoughts._ ' Tenzin thought repeatedly in his head.

"Y'know, Tenzin, I always thought you were kinda cute when we were kids." Natsuki said seductively, moving toward him slowly and then kissing him.

Tenzin's eyes shot wide open, realising that his 'think unsexy thoughts' mantra wasn't working, so he ran out of the cave and jumped into the ice cold water. When he emerged from his emergency swim, Natsuki just burst out laughing, laughing so hard that she snorted, which caused Tenzin to laugh as well and make Natsuki feel self-conscious.

"Don't worry, your laugh is cute." Tenzin smiled.

"Tsche, right…" Natsuki trailed off.

"Now that we really _are_ in a safe place, tell me everything that I've missed in the past ten years." Tenzin said.

Despite everything that had just happened, Natsuki and Tenzin both enjoyed a long conversation, telling each other about the past ten years of their lives.

"And Keiko is two years old, turning three in a few months." Natsuki ended cheerfully.

"Well, I'm very happy for your brother, as well as you and Itachi."

"Thanks… Tenzin, I'm sorry about your cabin."

"Don't be. I knew it was only a matter of time before something like that happened." Tenzin said, as Natsuki's tiger walked into the cave. "Your tiger is as hard to kill as her master… I haven't asked, what's her name?"

"I haven't give her a name yet, seeing as I kind of _just_ saved her." Natsuki said, rubbing the tiger's fur.

"How about... Yoruichi?"

"Nah... that's a name for black cat… or a real bad ass girl."

"Hmm."

"Senyoru… Yoru for short, if she likes it." Natsuki said and Seyoru roared then licked her face.

"I think she likes it.

"That's a good tigress."

"I think our clothes are dry now."

"Good, I enjoy being naked as much as the next girl, but I'm tired of ignoring **that**." Natsuki pointed at Tenzin again who jumped back in the water while Natsuki laughed and got dressed.

"So, Natsuki, what's the plan?" Tenzin asked after they were both dressed.

"We're goin' hunting." Natsuki smiled.


End file.
